Is SQRFT a rental platform, or does it also list homes for sale?

SQRFT is a rental-only platform. Searches like "townhouses for sale Laval" or "condos for sale Laval" describe buying a home, which is a different market with different listings, financing, and legal process than renting. Every listing on SQRFT is a rental unit. If you're looking to buy, you'll need a real estate agent and a separate resale listing service.

What's typically included in Laval rent?

It depends entirely on what the lease says. Quebec's mandatory lease form requires the landlord and tenant to specify who pays for heating, electricity, and other services, so there is no universal default. Older buildings in areas like Pont-Viau and Laval-des-Rapides more often include heating in the rent by long-standing local custom, while newer condo and townhouse rentals in areas like Sainte-Dorothée and Fabreville tend to bill heat and electricity separately. Regardless of who pays, Quebec law requires landlords to maintain an adequate indoor temperature, generally accepted at around 21 degrees Celsius, from September 15 to May 31. Always confirm exactly what's included in writing before you sign.

How does Quebec's rent increase system work?

Quebec does not use a single fixed annual percentage guideline the way Ontario does. Instead, the Tribunal administratif du logement (TAL) publishes an annual set of criteria and percentages, covering components like the base rent adjustment, capital expenditures, and municipal taxes, that landlords are meant to apply to calculate a building-specific rent increase (this is sometimes called the rent-fixation calculation). For notices given on or after January 1, 2026, the TAL set a base component of 3.1 percent. A tenant who receives a rent-increase notice does not have to accept it. If you and your landlord can't agree, you can ask the TAL to fix the rent, and the TAL's own online calculation tool can help you check whether an increase is reasonable.

Does my Laval landlord require a security deposit?

No, and this is a genuinely unique Quebec rule: landlords are not allowed to require a security, damage, or key deposit of any kind, no matter what it's called. At lease signing, a landlord can only require payment of the first month's rent in advance. A tenant can voluntarily choose to pay a deposit, but a landlord cannot make it a condition of renting, and pressuring a tenant into a "voluntary" deposit is not allowed either. If a landlord insists on a deposit, a tenant can refuse and, if needed, raise it with the TAL, which can fine a landlord for demanding one.

How do I dispute my landlord at the TAL?

The Tribunal administratif du logement (TAL) is Quebec's tribunal for residential tenancy disputes, covering rent increases, repairs, deposit demands, and eviction or repossession applications. It's a different tribunal from Ontario's Landlord and Tenant Board, BC's Residential Tenancy Branch, or Alberta's RTDRS, with its own forms and process, so don't assume another province's steps apply here. Keep your signed TAL lease, all written correspondence with your landlord, and any notices you receive or send, since these are what the TAL will ask for if a dispute is filed.

Can my landlord enter without notice?

No, with narrow exceptions. For a condition check or minor work, a Laval landlord generally must give at least 24 hours' notice, and visits must fall between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. Larger repairs or improvements require 10 days' written notice, with work generally restricted to between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. A landlord must also give 24 hours' notice before showing the unit to a potential buyer. Genuine emergencies are the main exception where advance notice isn't legally required.

What if my landlord wants to sell or move into the property?

A sale on its own does not end your tenancy, the new owner takes over your existing lease. Repossession (the landlord retaking the unit to live in it) is a separate, narrower process, and Quebec restricts who it can be used for: the landlord themselves, their children or parents, or another relative or a former spouse only if the landlord is that person's main source of financial support. A landlord generally can't repossess if they already own a similar, comparably-priced unit nearby. Notice periods are long, typically six months before the end of a lease longer than six months, and tenants have the right to contest a repossession they believe is not genuine.

Laval, Quebec Canada

Rentals Laval: Renting in Laval in 2026

Real neighborhoods, real answers. The complete SQRFT guide for renters and landlords in Quebec's third-largest city, just north of Montreal.

Browse Laval rentals

Population

461,509

StatCan-derived, Jul 2025

Transit

Orange + REM

3 métro stations + REM link

Neighborhoods

Across Laval

AHL hockey

Laval Rocket

Canadiens affiliate, Place Bell

FFrancis, SQRFT TeamCanadian Rental Market Analysts, SQRFT Editorial Team Updated September 20, 2026 8 min read

Section 1

What we know (and don't) about Laval rents

Laval does not currently appear in CMHC's Fall 2025 Rental Market Report as its own market, nor is it named in Rentals.ca's September 2026 National Rent Report. Rather than estimate or borrow a number from a nearby market, we're telling you plainly: there is currently no verified average-rent or vacancy-rate figure we can cite for Laval from either primary source.

The practical read

For a real sense of current asking rents, browse live SQRFT listings in Laval directly. Laval is part of the broader Montreal census metropolitan area, so our Montreal guide, which does have verified CMHC-sourced rent data, is a reasonable directional benchmark, not a substitute for a Laval-specific number.

Section 2

Where Laval renters live: the neighborhood guide

Laval is an island city directly north of Montreal, connected to the island via the Orange métro line extension and the Réseau express métropolitain (REM). Here's how its neighborhoods break down.

Laval occupies the whole of Île Jésus, separated from Montreal Island by the Rivière des Prairies. Three Orange line métro stations and the REM give parts of Laval a direct transit link into downtown Montreal, while other areas remain more suburban and car-oriented.

Chomedey

Renting in Chomedey, Laval.

Sainte-Rose

Renting in Sainte-Rose, Laval.

Duvernay

Renting in Duvernay, Laval.

Pont-Viau

Renting in Pont-Viau, Laval.

Vimont

Renting in Vimont, Laval.

Fabreville

Renting in Fabreville, Laval.

Laval-des-Rapides

Renting in Laval-des-Rapides, Laval.

Sainte-Dorothée

Renting in Sainte-Dorothée, Laval.

Auteuil

Renting in Auteuil, Laval.

Section 3

Laval schools and school boards

Where you live decides which public school your kids attend, and in Laval it also decides which language sector you fall into.

The two public boards serving Laval

Centre de services scolaire de Laval

CSS de Laval

Serves families across the City of Laval with designated catchment schools plus alternative and specialized programs.

Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board

SWLSB

Serves families across the City of Laval with designated catchment schools plus alternative and specialized programs.

How to find a school for your address

1
Use the board's school locator first.Enter the address on the CSS de Laval or SWLSB site and it returns the designated school for each grade level.
2
Confirm the language of instruction.Quebec's Charter of the French Language generally requires children to attend French-language public school unless a specific exemption applies, so confirm eligibility for English-sector schooling (SWLSB) before assuming it's available.
3
Check whether the school is capped.Popular schools in growing sectors like Sainte-Dorothée and Fabreville regularly close to non-designated students.
4
Confirm before you sign the lease.School-driven address decisions do not have a rewind button once you have committed to a lease term.

Public vs private

•
Public, French sector (CSS de Laval):free, catchment-based, Laval's primary French-language school board.
•
Public, English sector (SWLSB):free, admission generally requires meeting Quebec's English-eligibility rules under the Charter of the French Language.
•
Private schools:a long-established private school presence in Laval, with tuition varying widely and some schools partially subsidized by the province.

Section 4

Laval universities and post-secondary

Laval hosts a satellite campus rather than a standalone university, so many Laval students commute into Montreal's core campuses.

Université de Montréal (Laval campus)

UdeM Laval

Students concentrate in neighborhoods within walking or short-transit distance of the UdeM Laval campus.

Timing tip

Rentals near the Orange line's Laval stations typically see the strongest demand in July and August, ahead of the fall semester, since they offer the fastest commute into Montreal's downtown campuses. If you are a landlord targeting students, list early. If you are a student looking for the best selection, start hunting well before your lease's turnover date.

Section 5

Getting around Laval

Laval connects to Montreal through the Orange métro line extension and the newer Réseau express métropolitain (REM), run locally by the Société de transport de Laval (STL).

The essentials

•
Orange métro line extension (3 Laval stations)
•
Réseau express métropolitain (REM) connection

Car-optional zones

If you value a car-optional lifestyle, look at Chomedey, Pont-Viau, and Laval-des-Rapides, closest to the Orange line's three Laval métro stations. Sainte-Rose, Vimont, Fabreville, and Auteuil, farther from the métro corridor, are more car-dependent.

Section 6

What it costs to live in Laval in 2026

Rent is the biggest line, but not the only one. Here's how Laval's fixed costs stack against the rest of Quebec.

Where Laval wins

•
Generally more space per dollar than Montreal's core.Laval's residential sectors, particularly Fabreville, Sainte-Dorothée, and Auteuil, typically offer more space per dollar than comparable units on Montreal Island.
•
A climate nearly identical to Montreal.Laval is contiguous with Montreal Island, so heating and seasonal costs track Montreal's closely rather than varying independently.
•
No security deposit.Quebec law does not allow a landlord to require a security, damage, or key deposit of any kind. At signing, a landlord can only require the first month's rent in advance.

Where Laval is expensive

•
Still part of the Montreal CMA.Laval rents track the broader Montreal census metropolitan area, which remains a major Canadian rental market overall.
•
Combined sales tax.Quebec charges 5 percent GST plus 9.975 percent QST, for a combined 14.975 percent, applied to most goods and many services, higher than Ontario's 13 percent HST or Alberta's 5 percent GST-only.
•
Commuting costs off the métro corridor.Residents farther from Chomedey, Pont-Viau, or Laval-des-Rapides often rely more on a car, adding fuel, insurance, and parking costs on top of rent.

For live monthly cost-of-living data, Statistics Canada's Consumer Price Index release publishes the Montreal CMA component, which includes Laval, broken down by category.

Section 7

Laval events, culture, and why people love it here

The last section before we get to the practical answers. If you're deciding whether to move to Laval in the first place, this is what tips the scale.

Laval is Quebec's third-largest city, occupying the whole of Île Jésus directly north of Montreal. It pairs older, transit-connected sectors like Chomedey and Pont-Viau with more suburban, family-oriented areas like Fabreville and Sainte-Dorothée, and it's home to Alimentation Couche-Tard's head office along with major employers like CAE Inc. and Biscuits Leclerc.

Laval's climate

Humid continental climate, nearly identical to Montreal (contiguous with Montreal Island)

Laval's professional sports

Laval Rocket (AHL, Montreal Canadiens affiliate, plays at Place Bell)

Laval's hometown AHL franchise, playing at Place Bell.

Section 8

Renting in Laval: Quebec tenancy law essentials

These rules apply to every Laval rental, set out in the Quebec Civil Code and enforced by the Tribunal administratif du logement (TAL). Bookmark this section.

The common rule of thumb is 30 percent of gross monthly income on housing (rent plus utilities). Laval doesn't currently have a standalone average rent figure published by CMHC or Rentals.ca, though it's part of the broader Montreal census metropolitan area, so nearby Montreal figures can serve as a rough directional benchmark. Rather than estimate a Laval-specific number, we won't guess. Check live listings on SQRFT for current asking rents in the area you're targeting, and use our affordability calculator once you have a real number to test.

Try the free rent affordability calculator →

Section 9

Live Laval rentals on SQRFT

Browse listings across Laval neighborhoods. All listings verified. Free to list.

Browse Laval listings

Pricing

What should Laval rent cost?

Get a free rent estimate

SQRFT Rent Estimator

See a data-driven rent range for your Laval property based on our Canadian rental market model.

Sources